Well, he's here!!!

And he is pink and plump and perfect!!!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF TOMORROW PEANUT!!!!

But of course he did not make his grand entrance without a story behind it – so here is the story:

Following the instructions of the obs that made the appointment for him to be induced, we made our way to the hospital Wednesday evening, in fact we were early for our appointment time (have to be a good role model for the boy once in while).

We went to the admissions window and told them why we were there and they looked at us like we had asked them to fly us to the moon. They called the delivery suite people and then told us to go upstairs and let them sort us out.

We went to the appropriate level and were told by the nurse at the desk that they were expecting us at 8 AM, not 8 PM!!!!

But i even rang the delivery suite a couple of days ago and they seemed to have the same impression of our expected arrival time as we did. But, it seems that if things were to happen, we would be the people it would happen to!

After about an hour and a half of waiting around and being told that we may just have to go home and come back the next morning, we were told that they would take us and “see what they can do”, nice.

We were then shown to one of the delivery rooms – one were the bed did not work so they would not be using it to do an actual delivery in anyway. By this time it was about 10.00 before they gave me the pre-induction preparation. I then had to stay flat in the bed – not allowed to move for an hour. I started getting bad cramps in the lower abdominal area and of course already having cramps in my hips due the whole being pregnant thing, all i wanted to do was jump off the bed, or at least sit up, but this was a big no no if i wanted the prep thingy stuff to work.

After an hour i was allowed to move, thanks the gods, but the mid-wife kept feeling my tummy telling me that i was still getting mild contraction and could i feel them? Ummm no.

After an another hour the midwife left me to get some sleep and M34tb4LL went home. We did of course make sure that the hospital had his mobile number just in case things started happening during the night. I then went back to the bed to try and get some sleep. It was really weird sleeping in a bed in the middle of a hospital room, and no TV to go to sleep – a bad habit i know, but what are you going to do.

I woke up at six the next morning, the time they told me they were going to be staring the next step and when M34tb4LL was due to return. I only had to wait a few minutes as people started to come into the room, including M34tb4LL of course. It seemed what they had done had had the desired effect and they could go to the next step.

They moved me to another room – one where the bed was working – and continued with the induction procedure (i will not get graphic), which included putting a drip in back of my hand and strapping on a monitor to keep track on the baby and another monitor to keep track of the contractions that the stuff in the drip was supposed to start.

I started to get mild contractions and they showed me how to use the gas, so i knew how to use it when i really needed it. They also kept increasing the drip so that the contractions would get stronger.

Once again, the pain in my hips got the better of me and each time i tried to move to make the pain a little better the monitor they had strapped to me kept loosing the baby's heart beat. Luckily there was a easy solution to this problem, they could attach a monitor to the baby's head with a little clip and i would not have to worry about keeping the other monitor in place (again, not going to get into graphics of how this was done). They attached the clip and went to plug it into the monitor, but the monitor that they had in the room was not compatible. They went and got another monitor machine, hooked me up, and there was the the little ones again.

At about 10.00am they realised with the confusion the night before i had not actually been admitted to the hospital and they sent M34tb4LL back to admissions so i could be checked in. Not longer after he left the room the contraction that i had been getting stopped. The midwife continued to up the dosage on the drip and within an hour the contraction came again – AND HOW!!!

The gas certainly came in handy at this point, as did the shot of pethidine they gave me about an hour and quarter later.

It was close to the hour and a half mark that the old blood pressure started to rear its ugly head – or at least it started to go up a bit, then a bit more, then more again...

I can't quite remember what initiated the conversation of an epidural, but they asked me if i knew what one was and did i know what was involved. I explained the whole thing to them in great detail and one of them went to get a doctor. When the doctor arrived he told us it was for the best that they give me an epidural, not just for pain relief but because of the whole climbing blood pressure thing. I agreed with him – at that point i would have really agreed to anything – and he went to get an anesthesiologist.

Knowing that i would soon be bed ridden with a paralyzing chemical being pumped into my spine, i took the opportunity to go to the bathroom. While in there i got another contraction and apparently the sound i made was a little different than with previous contractions. One of the midwifes looked a the other and in a slightly panicked tone said “not again!”. This is because that at this particular hospital that we were at there was a baby born in the toilet not to long ago!

They opened the door on me and asked why i was making that particular sound, i said because it was sound i felt like it making. After a quick check of my progress they discovered that i was actually ready to have the baby.

The anesthesiologist came into the room to give me the epidural and they told him to not bother, it was too late for that.

So after about another 15 minutes Peanut was happily laying on chest, blinking at the light and sucking his fingers. Two hours from start to finish, blinding fast (not unhappy about that) and not the 12 + hours they were telling us to expect.

And now some stats for you -

Date: 8th Feb 2007
Time: 1:03pm
Weight: 3.71 kg (8 lb 3 oz)
Length: 52 cm


Name: Logan Jay

(: Reggie

Time is nearly up Peanut!

So at thirteen days overdue it seems there is no other option than medical intervention!

In less than 10 hours from now i will be in the hospital preparing for Peanut to be induced. To day is going to be really really long day!!!

Plus the look on M34tb4LL's face as he was going to work today - i have never seen him soooo not want to go! He put in a holiday leave for a month from the time Peanut was due to be born, but he told his boss that if the baby came early then he will be going sooner and if he came late he will be going later. We both thought that he would have been leave for a couple of weeks by now.

I still find it, umm i suppose i can say amusing, that i was told by the second obstetrician that the baby WOULD be born premature, even up to 10 weeks prem and that our hospital of choice could not take us for that reason. I soooo want to go to his office, shove my big belly in his face and scream "two weeks over". I doubt he would even remember me though - but i will not forget him... (G gives obs an evil glare)

But on the upside i have a friend who has just had a baby at the afore mentioned (but not named) hospital and she chose to cut her stay short because she did not like it there. Not that a stay in a hospital is supposed to be like a resort holiday, you know what i mean.

I wonder if the hospital will let me have my laptop so i can write an update? Doubt it. Ya'll have to wait till i get home in a couple of days time!!!

(: Reggie

10 days over, and counting

We are getting close to the end, if not by natural means we at least have a date that medical intervention will be employed!!!

Today we had our last (i hope) hospital visit as an outpatient, the next time we walk through those door we will not be walking out till we have our little Peanut safely in our arms. That is kind of KEWL thought.

I rang the delivery suite on Friday because i was freaking out slightly that i had not listened properly to the obs at our last visit and i had no idea of what was going to happen when. I spoke to really nice midwife who basically assured me that what i had remembered from the obs visit was correct but that i just had some of my terminology wrong.

If i do not go into labour naturally myself the baby will be induced on Thursday, BUT, we will actually come to the hospital Wednesday night where they do a pre-inducing procedure (not going to give you a visual) and then i will stay in over night and hopefully by Thursday they can start the inducing process. She said that half the time the pre procedure actually brings on labour anyway so it is all good.

The midwife then went on to give me few tips of what i can do to try and bring labour naturally myself, eating pineapple and/or a hot curry, going for walks, having a relaxing hot bath, and a few other things - most of these things i have tried anyway.

She also said that she could tell by the sound of my voice that i was stressed, well derrrrr, and that that might actually be setting me back a bit!!! Do you know what it does to a stressed person if you tell them they are stressed and not to stress??? They get MORE stressed!!!

Buy anyway - the hospital visit today:

We arrived at the hospital for our 9.00am appointment (on a Sunday!?!?!?) and i was strapped to a monitoring machine. Because of the position the baby was in i had to hold the sensor thingy in place and because of the whole fluid in my hands at the moment i promptly developed pins and needles and could not hold it. M34tb4LL held the sensor for me, and perched next to me on tiny plastic chair - while i sat back in comfy easy chair! He is such a sweetheart (: The monitoring lady kept telling him if he wanted to stay she could use his help with some of the other women there!

Each time i felt the baby move i had to press a button and it would put a mark on the graph that the machine was printing. This would show what the babies heart beat is while resting and while moving. Basically each time, i felt him move, the heart beat went up! As it should be!!!

Only problem was, with the size of the sensor thing (not very big), each time he moved M34tb4LL had to move the sensor around because he would lose the heart beat and would have to find it again.

After about half an hour of monitoring the graph showed a happy baby with a healthy heart beat and good movements.

We then had an ultrasound to make sure there was still enough fluid around the baby to see us through the next could of days. There was 10.6cm, apparently this is good. The scanning lady said if there was 4cm or less then we would not wait till Wednesday and they would get me back in tomorrow, but 10cm compared to 4cm seems like a good difference.

So now if Peanut does not make the move first we will be going back to the hospital in about 74.5 hours to get him started, not that i'm counting the hours now!!!

(: Reggie